Share of children living with a single parent in Ireland

Ireland: Share of children living with a single parent was 17.9 in 2023. β–Ό Falling

Latest (2023)
17.9
Change on year
up 2.3%
World rank
16th
of 34 countries
All-time high
28.1
in 2005
All-time low
17.5
in 2019
Years of data
21
2003–2023

Share of children living with a single parent in Ireland, 2003–2023

01020302003201320232003: 17.62004: 19.42005: 28.12006: 22.72007: 26.12008: 242009: 25.12010: 26.32011: 23.12012: 222013: 20.42014: 18.62015: 17.82016: 19.12017: 21.22018: 212019: 17.52020: 19.22021: 18.32022: 17.52023: 17.9

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2023, share of children living with a single parent in Ireland stood at 17.9.

The figure is up 2.3% on the previous year and down 12.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children living with a single parent in Ireland peaked at 28.1 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 17.5, in 2019.

That places Ireland 16th out of 34 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 23.29 17.6 28.1 7
2010s 20.7 17.5 26.3 10
2020s 18.23 17.5 19.2 4

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 13 Hungary 18.6 compare
  2. 14 Germany 18.5 compare
  3. 15 Malta 18.4 compare
  4. 17 Denmark 17.6 compare
  5. 18 Portugal 17.2 compare
  6. 19 Spain 15.8 compare

See the full ranking of 34 places β†’

More reference data data for Ireland

All data for Ireland β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children living with a single parent in Ireland?
Share of children living with a single parent in Ireland was 17.9 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of children living with a single parent recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 28.1 in 2005.
What is the lowest share of children living with a single parent recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 17.5 in 2019.
How does Ireland rank for share of children living with a single parent?
Ireland ranks 16th out of 34 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of children living with a single parent rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ireland data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children living with a single parent. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of children living with a single parent in Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-children-living-with-a-single-parent/ireland/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of children living with a single parent
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
34 places, 630 data points, 2001–2023
Last refreshed